Parkers milked of £2.5m fees and fines

OLDHAM drivers forked almost £2.5 million in parking charges last year.

According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, Oldham Council collected £2.4 million from motorists last year.

The income came from parking services, including car parks, parking meters, resident permits, season tickets and fines. After costs, including equipment, the wages of traffic wardens and operating and maintaining car parks, the council made £812,000 last year – a 9 per cent rise on the amount they made the previous year of £742,000.

Figures show councils across Greater Manchester all collected similar amounts of cash, with neighbouring Rochdale taking £2.19 million and Tameside £1.75 million before costs were paid out.

Salford council chiefs collected the least amount of cash at £1.96 million with Manchester collecting £10.39 million.

Oldham service director Tony Noblet said: “The bulk of the revenue that the council raises from off-street parking, namely car parks, supports the disproportionately higher costs in preventing illegal on-street parking.

“Once all running costs for its parking services and regulation are taken into account, the council is permitted by Government to invest any remaining revenue into other services.”

New parking regulations that came into force on March 31 mean that motorists can now receive parking tickets by post after being caught on CCTV.

The rules also give councils the power to set a sliding scale of fines of up to £120. The higher charges are for serious offences such as parking on a double yellow line on major roads while lower fines will be set for those who overstay at a pay-and-display bay.